I'm looking to do some upgrades to my 1972 Skylark drag car this off season. Here is where I'm at. Running 6.90s in the 1/8 1.48-1.52 60' times 97-98 mph My current rear setup is 9" 3.89 spool Skylark rear springs w/ bag on the right side Boxed factory lowers Edelbrock adjustable uppers Competition Engineering 3 way shocks set on 70/30 Hoosier 29x10 Should I backhalf the car and put a four link in or go with an HR Parts N Stuff setup? Thanks,
IMO,if you backhalf and fourlink it with good stuff you can throw all kind of power to it.Set up right it will hook on gravel every time(good for bracket racing). But! it depends on how big of a tire you want.You have to cut it up! Joe
I've heard good things about the HR Bar, but I really have no idea how well it would hold up to serious thrashing. I was going to use one. If you decide to go the HR route, I have one that's never been used (but installed). I'd be willing to sell it for a reduced price from new, but you'd need to fab some lower axle tube brackets (they're welded to my rear). They have the same basic shape as the bracket part of a muffler clamp, but a little more heavy duty. Decided to go the old-school route on my car- Lakewood ladder bars. If you're interested, shoot me a PM.
I have both setups. I recommend the h r bar. If you have this setup the right way there is nothing better. Plus paul is great and easy to deal with. Back half is just outdated now. Why not just notch the frame slightly to fit a 15 by 10 and that is all you would need to run into the 8 second zone without issues with an h r bar. Make sure all the control arms are upgraded also. The bushings are very important. John jr
Your traction efficiency is good already: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=212126 With an HR bar and soft front springs, you'll be able to handle a good bit more power.
I just ran 10.60's in BG with stock control arms, springs and shocks. Aftermarket stuff is 9" Hoosiers, a 1" ADCO sway bar and a passenger side air bag at 12 psi. I think you can go a lot faster before you need to invest in a 4 link. Never used one but a lot swear by the HR bar.
HR is the way to go. Plenty of cars way into the nines with this setup. We are at 10.08 right now running all HR stuff in the back. Car leaves nice and straight and Paul is always there to help.
if you decide to upgrade the Lowers CAs I have new/unmounted billet aluminum curries and UMI arm brace(also new) that I'll give you a great deal over from new prices pm me if interested. also hr bar is suppose to be the best bar for flat launches..
The correct answer to you question requires another question. What are you doing with the car? Just going to the drags for fun, local tracks and a few national Buick events, or are you seriously trying to be competative in the bracket wars. An HR bar and modified stock setup with 10.5" tires is fine if your just fooling around, but in serious competion, where turning the tire once on the starting line puts you on the trailer, then you need to back half the car. In all my years of racing only after I got into an a lighter back half car were we consistantly competative. It eliminates one of the biggest variables, that being traction, which is often inconsistant, unless your only racing at NHRA events. Sure you can get lucky now and again with a 10 inch tire car, and go a few rounds, we certainly did with the GS back in the day. But day in and day out, there is no substitute for 14" of rubber on the ground. The faster and heavier the car is, the more critical this is. I recommend the Chassisworks Eliminator II system, with a wishbone locator. I had this in both my 87 Regal, which I won many events in, as well as it is the system that is in the car that I built for George Sweesy. That car was deadly consistant, and when everyone else was bitching about track condition, we would just give each other a knowing glance and smile.. And that was a 3100 lbs car that would consistantly run in the low 1.2 60' range. On any given weekend you could lay the time slips out on the table, and they would be within thousands to half track. Not bad for a car with 765 ft lbs of torque and and the 2.48 gearing of a TH-400, coming off the trans brake at 5200 rpm. Time and again it would repeat, in the decade that I raced this car with George. They may not be "all the rage" that the 10 inch tire stuff is now, but sucessful bracket racers still know that a light car with big tires is where it's at, if your out to win races. The big tires alone are not the key, it's the correctly designed, installed and adjusted suspension that is the real key. I had both antiquated ladder bars as well as the Eliminator II setup in my Regal, and on the same tires, the difference was night and day. Same thing with George's GS when he tapped me to help him with it. I took one look at the suspension, and got the sawzall out. You can see that whole story here http://www.trishieldperformance.com/72_gs_455_tube_chassis_car.htm So it's up to you to decide, based on a number of factors, including budget and performance/consistancy goals. JW
